


Roy of Etruria

by MagicBiscuit



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuuin no Tsurugi | Fire Emblem: Binding Blade, Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken | Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cliffhangers, Family, Gen, Goes from 0 to 100 very quickly, Mild FE 6 spoilers, One Shot, alcohol mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 06:53:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15813720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicBiscuit/pseuds/MagicBiscuit
Summary: It was supposed to be a normal day, a day like any other.Instead it became a day that threw everything Roy thought he knew about himself into the void





	Roy of Etruria

"How long have you been sitting here?"

Roy blinked as he looked up from the dusty old tome he was reading. Larum was hovering over him with a frown on her face.

Roy put the book down and stretched his arms and legs. He'd made his way to the family's library right after breakfast to study. He looked out the window. The sun was high up in the sky.

Roy walked over to the window while chuckling sheepishly, trying not to wince at the headache he didn't even notice he had until now. His sister would be cross if she knew he'd been there all morning. She would then tell their father, who in turn, would then give him a stern lecture about how bad it was to spend so much time unmoving. He knew both of them meant well, but it could get awkward.

He felt Larum glare daggers in his back as he opened the window to breathe in the fresh autumn air. Maybe if he simply did not answer she would drop it?  
He heard her huff. They both knew the truth, even if it remained unspoken. She walked up to him and ruffled his red hair. "You're a growing boy," she chided, "you should be more active."

Roy simply shrugged. He liked reading. Was it truly his fault that he got lost in his books?

"How did your dance lessons go?" Roy asked in an attempt to steer the conversation in a different direction. Larum giggled.

"It went brilliantly thank you for asking," she chippered, "I'll be the fairest dancer at your coming-of-age ceremony."

Roy gulped. Of course she'd turn everything around to work in her favour.

Roy focused on a tiny grey bird pecking at the gravel. He'd be fifteen soon. In little over a month he'd be an adult, a man grown. The mere thought was enough to make his mouth go dry. His stomach churned.

He was the only son of Douglas, The Great General of Etruria. Despite this he was a poor fighter. He hoped that the other Etrurian nobles did not expect him to follow his father's footsteps. Roy would only bring shame to them both. He felt his body tense up.

Was he really ready for the Etrurian nobleman's life that was surely waiting for him?

Larum poked his cheek with her index finger. Roy gave her a weak smile. She always did that when he felt nervous about something. Larum gave him a toothy grin in return.

"The two of you can be quite cute when you want to be."

Roy and Larum both jumped at the sudden sound of Perceval's voice. The knight was leaning against the mansion’s wall, right next to the open window.

Larum leaned out the window and punched Perceval lightly on the shoulder. "What's it to you, anyway, you dumb eavesdropper?" she growled.

Perceval remained unfazed. Ignoring Larum's childish insult he turned his gaze to Roy. "How goes your practice with the sword, Milord?" he asked.

Roy bit his bottom lip and tried to look at anything, but Perceval. Last training session had gone so badly his instructor had flat out told him it might be better if Roy simply stuck to his books. Whatever desire Roy had to learn the ways of the sword disappeared in that moment.

Roy knew giving up was bad, but he'd never been fond of fighting. He'd doubted the Etrurian army would be any worse off for his absence.

Percival spoke, interrupting Roy’s trail of thought.

"Would you like me to go over some of the basics with you, Milord?" he asked.

Larum stopped throwing punches and Roy stared. Perceval rarely went out of his way like that, especially when it would serve no purpose to his liege. Roy felt his face flush and he quickly looked the other way. On one hand it could be nice, but on the other hand the thought of showing how bad he truly was to The Great Knight General wasn't something that sounded so incredibly tempting.

Tired of being ignored Larum groaned loudly. "Why are you even here!?" she asked Perceval, completely exasperated. Perceval simply raised a single eyebrow at her as if to say; "what do you think?"

Larum hung over the windowsill in defeat. "Mildain is here to talk to father, isn't he?" Perceval nodded.

An awkward silence hung between the three of them. If the Prince went straight to the lord of the house then it was probably fairly important.

They all looked out towards the courtyard. Had they been on the opposite side of the house Roy could've watched the great tree in their garden, but he'd made do with gravel and the old, worn down walls protecting their home.

Larum had never been fond of things being too quiet for too long so it was no surprise that she was the first to speak up.

"Shouldn't you be with the Prince, Perceval?" she asked.

Perceval didn't respond at first, seeming content with giving all of his attention to a piece of paper that he was holding. Before Larum could ask anything else he looked up at them. "I have an errand I must attend to down at the port," he said matter-of-factly as folded the paper and put it away, "I came to ask if either one of you wanted to come along."

That caught Roy off guard.

He turned his attention back to his books. He'd planned to spend the entire day reading. He could feel Larum light up next to him. "I can go for a walk," she said brightly as she grabbed Roy's wrist.

Their eyes met. Larum gave him a cat-like smile.

He had no choice did he?

“Is it really all right for us to use the Prince’s very own carriage?”

Roy hesitated while Larum practically jumped inside. Percival gave him a pat on the back, half to reassure him, half to urge him forward. “His Royal Highness won’t mind” he said. “If he were here he’d probably say something along the lines of ‘carriages are meant to be used’”

While he was still not very comfortable with the idea Roy knew that Larum wouldn’t just let him go back to the library so he slowly boarded the blue carriage and sat down opposite of his sister.

The carriage started moving and they rode forth with only the sound of hooves hitting the ground to fill the silence. Roy tried his best to hide his smile. He'd always been fond of horses. While he didn't ride one to battle, he still enjoyed pleasure rides. For a moment it made him sad he didn't have a horse of his own, but he knew that was for the best. Roy seldom left the manor and spent most of his days studying. He wouldn't have the time to properly take care of a horse.

He sighed softly and tried to enjoy the short ride while it lasted.

"Thank you for the ride."

Roy was fussing over the two horses that had brought them to their destination. Scratching them behind their ears. Stroking their necks over and over. The two of them almost looked like they were smiling. Roy was smiling too. Horses were such good animals.

When he felt that he had thanked the horses enough he turned around to Perceval and Larum who were giving him a strange look. They turned their gaze to each other and gave a short nod.

It was kind of weird.

Roy gave the horses one last pat each before he walked over to the duo. "So where are we going?" he asked. Larum grabbed him by the wrist again. "We're going shopping!" she said excitedly before giving Perceval a sly look, "and he's off to do boring knight stuff" Roy looked up at Perceval, but the knight remained as stoic as usual. He gave Roy a short pat on the shoulder. "You two have fun," he said, "I'll join up with you once I'm done"

Before Roy could protest he was gone.

Larum led him but the arm as they waded through the market place. "I want a new dress," she chippered, "and make-up, and some nice jewellery." Roy raised an eyebrow at her. Didn't she already have all those things? He looked down at the skirt of her white dress and saw all the mud stains. Wandering about a port in the autumn while wearing that dress on was probably not the best idea she ever had.

He hoped their father wouldn’t be too annoyed by Larum’s antics.

He was about to voice his concern when he felt a sudden chill down his spine. He looked over his shoulder, but could only see the mass of people.

What was that?

Roy briefly wondered if he should tell Larum about what he just felt when she started talking again. "You know," she began in a teasing tone, "there might be something here that Lady Clarine might like"

Roy felt his cheeks go red. The sudden feeling of being watched disappeared.

Of course Larum had to bring up Lady Clarine! He huffed. "I don't see why what is to Lady Clarine's liking is of any interest to you, dear sister!" He tried to snap, but it turned to an uncomfortable squeak. Larum burst out laughing. "But your little crush is super cute!" she argued.

Roy stared at Larum's back. Why wasn't he surprised she knew?

He was about to think of a retort when something in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

Horses.

There was at least ten horses were being kept in a rounded paddock. They were no doubt for sale; there would be no reason for them to be at the market like this otherwise. People who rode down to the port had to leave their companion at the entrance. Knights were the only ones allowed to bring their mounts further in and that was only when there was an emergency of some kind.

Roy’s blue eyes landed on a grey speckled one. Larum stood right next to him.

"The grey one is very pretty." she said knowingly. Roy just nodded, content with admiring from afar. They stood there a little bit before Roy awkwardly coughed and turned his attention to Larum. "Let's get going" he said, but Larum remained planted in place.

She gave him a pat on the back. "Meet me at the square!" she called out, "I've got something I must attend to!"

She pushed him into the crowd before he could say anything and then she was gone.

Roy sighed and went on ahead.

The port was a strange place Roy thought as his shoes clacked on the stone beneath him. It had all kinds of people with all kinds of things they were trying to sell. It was weird to think that his quiet manor home was so close to such a bustling place.

He briefly wondered if any of the gifts he got from his father came from here.

His eyes scanned the many stalls, looking for anything that resembled a stack of books. While the library at home was big there may be something of interest when the sellers came from all over.

His eyes stopped, not at book, but at a music box. It looked like it was made of gold. There were also sapphires adorning its sides. He thought back on a conversation he once had with Lady Clarine. She'd told him that sapphires were her favourite gemstone. He stepped closer to the booth.

Suddenly he felt something grab onto his arm. It was a woman. She scarred all over. Roy tried his best not to frown at the overwhelming scent of alcohol. He was about to ask if he could help her with something when she began pulling at him.

"It's you," she muttered, "It’s got to be you!"

With that she lifted him up and they were off.

Roy felt his body stiffen with shock. What just happened? He looked up at the lady. She only had her right eye; the left was covered with an eyepatch.

The truth of the situation sank in.

Roy felt panic rise in his chest. He began to struggle in an admittedly pathetic attempt to free himself. The lady simply shifted her grip on him.

With his heart pounding rapidly in his chest he remembered something his father told him a long time ago;

_"If someone tries to take you against your will scream the loudest you ever have!"_

Roy took a deep breath. He wasn't a loud person. He didn't like making a fuss.

He squeezed his eyes shut.

This time he simply had to breach through that shell.

" _Perceval!!!_ "

Just as soon as he let out his cry and was about to make another the lady dropped him down against a wall and slapped her hand over his mouth. He tried to wriggle free, but she easily overpowered him.

She chuckled.

"Quite loud aren't you?"

Roy whimpered as his futile attempt at an escape continued. Using her free hand she brought her finger to her lips and shushed him, much like his nanny used to when he was younger. He couldn't help, but notice that her hand was missing some fingers.

They stared at one another.

Whatever noise Roy tried to make became muffled by the woman's hand. He even tried the gross hand licking thing that Larum taught him, but to no avail.

The lady chuckled again.

"It's really you, isn't?" she said.

Roy swallowed hard. What was he supposed to do?

Her visible eye softened and her dry lips spread out into a smile.

"My name is Farina," she said in a tone that could be seen as gentle, "You're name is Roy, isn't it?

He looked at her with wide eyes. How on earth did she know his name?

Time passed by slowly. Roy's eyes began darting all over the place, trying to see someone, anyone. It was just the two of them, however, stuck all alone in a dim back ally.

The lady that called herself Farina tilted her head as she regarded him. "You look like your father," she said. Roy frowned. No he didn't. She leaned closer; her terrible smell was enough to make Roy dizzy.

"You do have my sister's eyes, though!"

Roy felt lost. What on earth was this alcoholic going on about? Clearly she had the wrong Roy!

Because there was no way she could really be talking about him, right?

" _Roy, where are you!?_ "

Larum's sudden shout echoed through the air. It caught both of them off guard.

Roy noticed he suddenly had an opportunity.

With all the strength he could muster he kicked Farina right in the gut and quickly bolted. He found his voice again, shouting for his older sister over and over again as he zipped through the labyrinth of back allies. He heard Larum call back to him.

Roy almost cried when he saw a tall, blonde knight clad in black. At least he found Perceval.

Perceval was quick to notice him. When Roy was close enough he practically leapt in front of him, acting like a shield. Roy felt himself get wrapped up in someone arms. Larum held him tightly to her chest. "What the hell happened!?" she asked. She sounded terrified. Roy looked up at her. How was he supposed to explain? He didn’t understand it himself.

Farina sudden voice cut through the air.

Roy looked up and noticed that Perceval had restrained her, but she still seemed pleased with herself. She stared at Roy, her face covered with mud. "I'll be back, sweetie," she said in a tone that made Roy want to throw up, "Auntie just gotta break out of prison first, ‘kay?"

Roy buried his face in Larum's shoulder. He just wanted to go home.

The clock ticked rhythmically in the dining hall.

Even thought there were more people than usual no one said a word. Roy poked at his stew with his fork. Normally he would be happy with today's dinner, but the events he experienced earlier made him lose his appetite. Larum seemed to be in the same boat. Perceval had eaten some bread, but seemed to have difficulty with anything else. Roy swallowed hard. He needed to apologize to Perceval later.

Only Prince Mildain and his father seemed to be enjoying themselves. His father broke the silence. He looked at Perceval. "Did you manage to complete your errand, Perceval?" he asked. The knight nodded. "I did indeed, Milord." he replied. His voice seemed weaker than usual.

Prince Mildain took a sip from his wine glass. "That is excellent," he said in his usual calm tone, "I will inspect your result later, when we return to court." Roy’s father frowned as he dipped some of his bread in the gravy. "Is His Royal Highness heading back so soon?" he asked, "you are more than welcome to stay the night."

The Prince shook his head. "Alas I cannot," he said, "My lord father expects me home by tonight; we have many things we must see to."

With that the meal continued on in silence.

After dinner, when Prince Mildain was about to leave with Perceval, the knight approached Roy. He put a heavy hand on Roy's shoulder and leaned forward. "I'm sorry about today," he whispered into his ear, "but I'll return in three days’ time so we can have the sword lessons I suggested earlier."

Earlier that day the offer hadn't been all that tempting, yet after seeing how little physical strength he truly had, Roy could not help but feel like it would be wise. Besides he'd rather have someone he considered a friend teach him rather than an uncaring instructor.

Roy gave him a pale smile. "That's sounds lovely, thank you" he replied in an equally quiet tone. He looked down at his feet before adding; "and I'm sorry as well"

Perceval just squeezed his shoulder.

After the two had gone Roy walked up to his father. He needed to talk about what happened today. As if reading his mind the old man chuckled.

"So I hear you had quite the adventure today."

Roy shrank in on himself. His father put a hand on his back. "Do you want go to my office to talk for a bit?" he asked. Roy just nodded.

They made their way through the manor in silence. Every now and again Roy would look up at his father to try to gauge his mood. When he did his father would give him a tiny smile. That gave Roy a little relief. At least the man wasn't angry with him.

His father opened the door to his office and Roy hurried inside.

He'd always loved his father's office. When he was younger he would always make his way there when he'd been frightened by silly things that could only scare a child. His father didn't even need to be there. The room carried his earthy scent. That was enough to soothe Roy.

Roy sat down on the plush chair that was resting in front of the work desk. It was a bit worn down, but he still loved it. He'd known it his entire life, after all.

His father sat down on the chair opposite of his. He folded his hands and rested his bushy chin of top of them. He gave Roy a tiny nod, silently telling him to begin.

Roy licked his dry lips as he ran his finger over the desk’s dark wood. The Image of the short haired, scarred woman looking at him like he was her own child would not leave him. He shuddered.

"That woman I meet today said something strange." he began in a quiet voice. He looked up at his father. The man hadn't moved an inch. Roy looked down on his lap. He took a deep shaky breath.

"She said I had her sister’s eyes and she called herself my 'antiue'" He felt a chill run down his spine. It was all so wrong. It made him feel sick. “But she can’t be!” It was impossible. Roy could feel the anxiety rise in his stomach. “Nanny told me that Mother was an only child!” Roy took another deep breath. “She also said I look like you, but that’s not true either!”

Roy didn’t know who Farina was, but he knew she was wrong. She had to be wrong. There was no way she couldn’t be wrong.

He heard his father inhale sharply as he get up from his chair. He crouched down next to Roy. He looked at his father carefully. His brown eyes looked so sad. He gently cupped Roy's chin in his big, calloused hands.

After staying like that for a short while his father spoke. "I need to tell you something Roy" he said softly. It was the tone of voice he always used when Roy or Larum were upset and he wanted to comfort them.

Roy’s heart started to beat faster. His father was going to confirm what he already knew was true, so why did Roy feel so uneasy? The lady was wrong and his father would tell him that.

Because she _was_ wrong, wasn’t she?

His father, his kind, gentle father, looked so hesitant. Roy waited for the words that would turn everything back to the way it was supposed to be.

What his father would actually say to him did the exact opposite of that.

"Roy, I do not like telling you this, but you are not my child by birth."

**Author's Note:**

> For those who do not know; Elffin's real name is Mildain and he is the Prince of Etruria. This is probably well known to most people that have been in contact with FE 6 in some way, shape or form, but I'll just leave this here so nobody gets needlessly confused.


End file.
